50 images Created 7 Aug 2014

[Syria] Idlib Interim

In a state of uncertainty people in the village of Koreen live free enough to work on their future.

Back in spring 2012 the Assad regime had put its feet on the ground in Koreen for the last time. In an aggressive attempt to restore power in the uprising village nestling on hills southwest of Idlib town. Pounding the village of 10.000 mostly sunni people with tanks, artillery, side protected by dreaded shabiha militias. By the end of that day in February 2012 seven people were executed or died by shelling, some dozens were arrested, shops were left behind looted and several houses were set on fire. It has been the time when the syrian uprising slowly slipped off to become a civil war spreading throughout all Syria.

Since then not a single envoy of the hated regime in Damascus have been seen again in Koreen. The Syrian army retreated to remote Checkpoints and army bases in the Province first and later they were forced to leave the entire province. Koreen has been indiscriminately targeted by Barrel bombs throughout 2012/2013, causing a lot of destroyed houses and infrastructure. But since random shelling decreased to few grenate hits a week most of the once fled scared population returned home from refugee camps in Turkey or elsewhere in 2013.

The government has lost its grip on the population in all villages in Idlib province. But due to the course of the civil war a new stabil government is not in sight yet. In a state of uncertainty people are on their own and try to get back to normal. Members of an elected Local Council (LC) in Koreen volunteering to restore community services like water supply, waste management or social welfare. Businessmen and local vendors re-established trading networks throughout rebel-held areas, across regime frontlines or with Turkey. And smart pioneers installed two competetive wireless Internet networks covering the village to connect it to the outside world.

Since no taxes need to be paid anymore to the regime in Damascus, people are free to organize their life in the village the way they like. Koreen governs itself.

Timo Vogt´s photo report gives an insight to syrians who want to live self-determined and get back to normal as far as possible in times of instability Syria stucks in. He followed up the developments in Koreen since February 2012 when he witnessed an army ground attack on the village. It has been his fourth journey to war-torn syria.